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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 0998.PDF
PARIS REPORT Fangs bared for RAF trainer competition A major talking point at Paris is the selection of a basic trainer to replace the Jet Pro vost in Royal Air Force ser vice. The issue of an RAF Air Staff Target is imminent, but the trainer manufacturers al ready have a good idea of the RAF's needs and are vying for the order, for up to 150 aircraft. British Aerospace is offering the Brough division's single-turbofan P. 164, origi nally a side-by-side, shoulder- wing configuration, but now a straight-wing "mini-Hawk" with tandem seating. British Aerospace is also to be offered co-production of the Australian Aircraft Con sortium's A. 10 turboprop trainer. AAC says that it could develop a tandem-seat vari ant, should the RAF want it. Under such an agreement Australia would build the hot- climate A. 10 and BAe the temperate version. AAC says that the RAF and RAAF requirements "are practically identical", as is the in-service date of 1987. The A. 10 is built as a pure trainer: the design point has not been diluted to allow for weapon training. The aircraft will have "the best reliability and maintainability in the world, even better than that of the BAe Hawk". A. 10 will be cost competi tive: "a bit cheaper than the Embraer EMB.312 Tucano, but more than a Pilatus PC-7 or Beechcraft T-34C. We are about $1 million, plus or minus 10 per cent, but be cause we have spent so much on cheap maintainability, our trainer's life-cycle cost will be lower than the others." Fairchild is hoping that its FRC 225 Full Spectrum Trainer, shown at Paris in mockup form, has a chance with the RAF. Developed from the US Air Force T-46A, the 225FST "is quite closely compatible with RAF require ments. The twin-engine con figuration is a plus mark versus the RAF's single- engine requirement". Fair- child would set up inter national production for the RAF: "If they have the T-46 or FST, and our Navy has Hawk, then we have a good trade balance and a more common pilot philosophy." Embraer is cautiously opti mistic on the EMB.312 Australian Air Consortium's basic trainer is now undergoing spin tests in Nasa's Langley windtunnei. Powerplant is a 750 s.h.p. Pratt & Whitney PT6A-250 Tucano's RAF prospects. "The RAF has flown Tucano. They like it. We are studying two or three British com panies to build Tucano." Flight understands that these are BAe, Shorts, and possibly Westland. What if the RAF decides not to have ejection seats? "Then they won't have Tucano. We will not remove the seats, it would mean a re-design." Beechcraft is offering the T-34C, which was flown by the RAF last week. If chosen the T-34C would be built "by a company in Northern Ireland". Cossor would supply the avionics; "therefore we are offering 100 per cent co- production. We are cheaper than Pilatus and Embraer, but the Brazilians can get a Government subsidy. We want around $950,000 for a standard-equipment T-34C and we can offer a full on-base servicing package. Casa admits that its single- turbofan C.101 costs more than any turboprop. "But you get more for your money, it means less time on the Hawk in the latter stages of train ing." The RAF will evaluate the aircraft at the Paris Show, but the C.101 must be an out sider, being bigger than the Hawk. Other possible contenders include Valmet's L80TP, Siai-Marchetti's SF.260TP and S.211, Aerospatiale's Epsilon, NDN's Turbo- Firecracker, and the Pilatus PC-7, or possibly PC-9, plus the FFA AS.32T Turbo Bravo and RFB'a Fantrainer. Trainer look-alikes Below, top FMA has brought a full-scale mockup of its 1A.63 single- turbofan trainer to Paris. Its Alpha Jet-tike lines betray Dormer's design assistance. The first of four prototypes is to fly at the end of this year. The first of 100 IA.63s for the Argentine Air Force is to fly in December 1985, and production will reach three a month. Below, bottom Jugoslavia flew in its latest Sok uper Galeb, a dead ringer for the BAe Hawk. More on page 1647 mm, J|' : UiWIKSSIiiiiiifl, 1624 FLIGHT International 4 June 1983
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